Characterization of FeCo based catalyst for ammonia decomposition. The effect of potassium oxide

FeCo fused catalyst was obtained by fusing iron and cobalt oxides with an addition of calcium, aluminium, and potassium oxides (CaO, Al2O3, K2O). An additional amount of potassium oxide was inserted by wet impregnation. Chemical composition of the prepared catalysts was determined with an aid of the XRF method. On the basis of XRD analysis it was found that cobalt was built into the structure of magnetite and solid solution of CoFe2O4 was formed. An increase in potassium content develops surface area of the reduced form of the catalyst, number of adsorption sites for hydrogen, and the ammonia decomposition rate. The nitriding process of the catalyst slows down the ammonia decomposition.